Salute the real heroes

It is just last week that the Indian army carried out surgical strikes against terrorists across the Line of Control. And since then, both new media and the television and radio have been lauding the heroic and timely move of the nation.

A quick look at the content being fed to us in the past week shows how ultra-patriotic it is. From boasting the expertise and intelligence of the Indian army to highlighting details of the much-planned and sophisticated operation, the media has been injecting the patriot adrenaline in all of us; which is very much legitimate.

Picking the pulse of the momentary content, especially social media, India’s two-wheeler giant Hero Motocorp took to Twitter to voice every Indian’s feeling for the brave act of the Indian army.

Pushing the ad on twitter at midnight and beaming the spots on TV as soon as India wakes up is just the right thing done at the right time. Aptly titled “Hero Salutes”, the spot is a campaign that is filled with emotions, but at the same time ensures not to flare up any passions, and that is the beauty of it.

The advert starts off with a soldier running behind a bus, as a man on his Hero bike enters the frame, overtakes the bus and stops it for the soldier. And as the soldier hops in, the man on the bike salutes him; not only him but also the passengers in the bus along with the conductor and the driver salute the soldier.

All this with a strong voiceover that says – Hero salutes the real heroes. The advert goes on to sketch more of such scenarios, where the common man salutes members of the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force; all in an endeavour to express gratitude towards soldiers.

Among other gimmicks that followed the surgical strike, this one by Hero has been extremely sensitive and non-exploitive.

While other brands exploited nationalism (for instance, MobiKwik was offering 20 per cent cashback with the code ISTSTRIKE), Hero once again proved how classy branding and advertising always stands out.

Sticking to its roots, retaining the Indian culture and values, #HeroSalutes is yet another strong expression by the brand that resonates with every Indian’s heartbeat, just like ‘Desh ki Dhadkan’.

As much secretive as the surgical strike was, the brand managers did not have much time to bring the idea to light; because a campaign is a hit mostly because of its timeliness.

And this one needed a quick response. L&K Saatchi & Saatchi made the job possible with a mere turnaround time of 24 hours.

It is really a great achievement to churn out a campaign in less than a day. If you observe, the effect of the campaign has been optimum because of its time. Take a bow L&K Saatchi & Saatchi, great job.